YP Letters: Climate crisis protest challenged us all to fight for better future for planet

Do we owe it to our children to fight for a better future for the planet?

Published:13:00Wednesday 20 February 2019

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From: Nathan Strathdee, Extinction Rebellion, Sheffield.

On Friday, the youth of Sheffield joined tens of thousands of others around the globe in demanding action on the climate crisis from older generations.

These young people were serious and well-informed. Repeatedly, calls were made for those in power to rapidly end the developed world’s deadly addiction to fossil fuels.

The young people protesting made the point that they have never been able to vote, they’ve never chosen to continue this destructive system but they are the generation that will have to tackle the extreme weather, rising sea levels and misery that is our current future.

On top of this, as they began to mobilise to protest, some headteachers threatened to punish them.

The protest challenged us all to fight for a better future both for ourselves and the planet.

Don’t you think we owe it to them?

From: Karl Sheridan, Old Lea, Holme upon Spalding Moor.

Much as I applaud the efforts of our young students skipping class to call for climate change action, I do feel it’s a forlorn hope and just a pie in the sky dream.

Admittedly the Government is making a few token gestures which unfortunately fail to address the situation, and in most cases merely cost the rest of us ill-afforded money. Yes, many of us would like to be able to afford electric cars, but that won’t away take the heavily polluting diesel trucks from our roads, or indeed the polluting buses in cities, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of white vans all delivering our internet goodies, will it?

Until everyone, and I mean every single individual in this world, is prepared to think less selfishly and realise the consequences of their actions, and until every government takes stock of the reality of their ineffectiveness in preventing climate change then nothing will prevent the destruction of our Earth.

I’m sorry kids, but until the average man in the street, as well as all nations accept that we can’t go on allowing pollution and overpopulation, then nothing will get done.